The invention relates to a fastening frame for tightly clamping a microprocessor against a heat slug and, more particularly, to such a fastening frame that allows efficient heat dissipation of the heat slug.
The development of the electronic industry provides electronic components that process increasingly faster. This increase in the processing speed causes a higher heating of the electronic components that, if not adequately dissipated, may cause irreversible damages. To provide an adequate heat dissipation within electronic apparatuses such as computers, a fan and a heat slug are commonly mounted to dissipate the heat irradiated from the microprocessor. The heat slug is usually in contact with the microprocessor to promote the heat dissipation to the air, and the fan generates an air flow over the heat slug to promote an air circulation that dissipate the thermal flow.
To provide an optimal heat dissipation, the heat slug therefore has to tightly contact with the microprocessor to enable an optimal thermal conduction. Moreover, the heat slug should have a maximum contact area with the air to also ensure a maximum heat dissipation. To satisfy the above requirements, a fastening frame is traditionally provided to ensure a tight contact of the heat slug with the microprocessor. To enable the mount of the fastening frame, a mounting space has to be usually left on a central zone of the heat slug. The traditional fastening frame of the prior art principally includes a fastener that is parallel to the heat slug and is mounted in the mounting space of the heat slug. Two sides of the fastener are further provided with attachment parts that clamp a positioning socle on which is mounted the microprocessor. This method however has the disadvantage of requiring a necessary mounting space on the heat slug, which reduces the number of heat dissipating fins thereon. To attain a same heat dissipation performance, the size of the heat slug therefore has to be increased. Unfortunately, the available mounting space for the heat slug is limited. Moreover, the heat irradiated from microprocessor principally comes from the central zone thereof. A removal of the heat dissipating fins in the central zone of the heat slug is therefore detrimental to an optimal heat dissipation. This heat dissipation is more particularly critical for current microprocessors that are capable of processing over 2 GHz, for which if the heat irradiated from the central zone of the microprocessor is not adequately dissipated, the operation of the microprocessor is greatly affected.
Accordingly, it is therefore a principal object of the invention to provide a fastening frame that can be mounted between existing spaces between the heat dissipation fins of the heat slug without reducing its number at the central zone of the heat slug. As a result, the heat dissipation of the heat slug is improved.
To attain the above and other objectives, a fastening frame of the invention includes a fastener that is comprised of a transversal connecting arm that connects two attachment parts at two opposite sides. The transversal connecting arm has a thickness that is smaller than the space between the fins, and an edge that is parallel to the base of the heat slug. The fastening frame is thereby mounted in a manner that the transversal connecting arm inserts in a space between two fins with the attachment parts attached to the positioning socle. The transversal connecting arm is further downwardly connected to a pressing part that presses the base of the heat slug in tight abutment against the microprocessor.
To provide a further understanding of the invention, the following detailed description illustrates embodiments and examples of the invention, this detailed description being provided only for illustration of the invention.